Silver Bullets
by September Wolves
Summary: Ichigo is a vampire hunter and it is his job to maintain peace in his town.But the arrival of a certain wolf pack led by Grimmjow decides to shake things up a bit.Multiple pairings and StarrkXIchi.SLASH.
1. Chapter 1:Ichigo

**HI, ITS ME SEPTEMBER WOLVES AGAIN WITH ANOTHER FIC!**

**Top: Ancients**---the vampires that existed before the rise of the werewolves. They are very strong and beautiful, and most are moneybags with a territory space and slaves or pets. They are also very hard to kill and the most painful way to die is for every drop of blood to leak out of the body slowly. A bite from an Ancient turns a human into a normal vampire. If they offer blood, then the normal vampire would be called his or her 'fledgling' (like it mentions in the fic.)

**Normal vampires**---they are average-looking and can't really be distinguished from humans unless they bite. They are easily killed by silver bullets. Bites from normal vampires turn the human into an Inferior vampire. (mentioned below)

**Inferior vampires**---these are more like zombies and like dark wet places, they mostly feed off of sewer rats and stay in the underground sewage pipes. Sunlight actually does bother them. If a human is bitten by it, they also turn into an inferior vampire. (There will be more about them later in the fic)

**Hunters:** they are different beings, aka advanced humans. Mostly they are half-breeds and cannot age. The most well known hunter is Juliann. They do not have last names to identify themselves. Ichigo is not human, that's all I'm going to say now.

**_AN: I hope this cleared everything up before the fic. Review and I will type out more of this. Enjoy. I promise it gets better later. Have patience. I ALSO HAVE A POLL OF WHAT I MIGHT START NEXT, IF YOU'RE INTERESTED, PLEASE GIVE ME YOUR OPINION AND VOTE!  
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One**

He had been stalking the limping figure for half an hour already and the slow drizzle of the rain made him feel even more fed up. It was time to go in for the kill. Ichigo cracked his knuckles and jumped down from the small second floor window he had been crouching upon. He had already guessed where the bleeding vampire was headed. There was a small abandoned warehouse five minutes from where he was standing and Ichigo turned around and headed for the shortcut.

It took him half the time to get there and he was mildly surprised when the blond vampire appeared from a corner. Ichigo cocked his guns and stepped forward. He was expecting the vampire to turn and flee in another direction, but the blond surprised him by running straight at him. The hunter didn't have time to take in a breath as the air whooshed out of his lungs. Ichigo's vision blacked out for a moment and he found himself lying on the ground. He had gotten knocked down by a bleeding normal vampire. It wasn't even an Ancient. How humiliating.

Ichigo stood up quickly and took several measured breaths before walking toward the door. He had positioned himself in front of the entrance a few minutes before but now the vampire had disappeared into his hideout. The orangehiared man glanced at his watch. It was six thirty. Another half hour and his shift would be over. The thought of going back to the house made him feel both relieved and wary at the same time. Thirty minutes left to bag a kill or his mentor wouldn't be happy. Going back without a kill and she was likely to starve him for another day. Ichigo's stomach growled and he grimaced in annoyance. He had gone on for two days now without a single bite of food and still no kills. He was starting to feel impatient.

The hunter kicked open the thin door with a loud deafening bang. The time for stealth was over. He scanned the dark room and found a trail of blood leading to a dark corner. The vampire was sure clumsy and weak. The thought made him grimace again. It should have been an easy kill, but he had already wasted two silver bullets and the thing was still alive. Bleeding, but alive. Ichigo followed the blood and turned the corner. He cocked his gun and took aim at the huddling shadows.

"Wait! Please don't shoot." He glanced at the crouching vampire. He was bent over something with a protective stance. "Please, just spare me and my wife…"

The orangehiared man turned his eyes to the bundle of blankets the vampire was holding. Sure enough, a woman poked her head out of the torn cloth and looked up at him. For a moment onyx black met ocean blue and Ichigo glanced at the blond again.

"How can she be your wife? She's not even human, or your kind." He said calmly. The woman was shielding her stomach protectively and glaring up at him.

"Brian knows fully well what I am." She said in a cold voice. The hunter narrowed his eyes when he realized the woman was pregnant. Vampires weren't supposed to be able to give birth or impregnate some other form of life, let alone a werewolf.

"Please, just leave us and our baby alone. I swear I haven't killed recently." The blond man, Brian, was still pleading. The woman surprised Ichigo by standing and squaring her shoulders.

"If he's going to kill us, then I'm not going to go without a fight. No matter what happens, I love you, Brian." She said calmly without a hint of fear.

The vampire watched as the light-haired hunter flinched suddenly and faltered. Ichigo tried to clear his suddenly hazy vision. Those words… he had heard the same ones in his dream. And suddenly the woman before him changed. The brown hair was replaced with deep reddish brown and the eyes were warm amber. Then the vision disappeared again and he steadied himself with a shake of his head.

For a moment, the werewolf and the hunter watched one another. The orange haired man didn't move. Then Ichigo slowly dropped his guns and placed them back into his belt.

"I don't know why I'm doing this…" he admitted softly. "But I suggest you get out of here before tonight is over. I can assure that you come to no harm in my watch but if the others find you, I don't know if you'll be this lucky. So leave this city and go somewhere else."

After his rather long speech, the dark-haired man turned and began making his way out of the warehouse. A soft 'thank you' was the only warning he got before the woman embraced him from behind. Ichigo froze and forced his arms to remain by his side. Natural instinct told him to reach for the guns. After what seemed to be eternity, the werewolf released him. He turned around and looked into the blue eyes again. They were shining gratefully at him. Ichigo nodded briefly and turned to go, only to be blocked by another person at the entrance.

"Ah, what have we here… a hunter and a couple of misfits together? Aren't you supposed to get rid of these _things_?" he froze when he saw the figure standing at the door of the warehouse. Ichigo cursed silently under his breath. How could he have not noticed a vampire following him? Maybe the hunger was slowing his senses down…

The figure stepped closer and Ichigo recognized him. It was one of Kenpachi's fledglings. Before the vampire could say anything, he turned and motioned for the two figures behind him to leave. The woman gave him one last fleeting glance before leaving.

"What do you want? Don't you have better things to do that follow me around?" he asked the vampire when the sounds of footsteps faded. The leech smirked and stepped closer.

"Well well well… what will mama say if you went back empty-handed?" he asked softly and suddenly lashed out. The move was fast, but not fast enough. Ichigo dodged him smoothly and turned to face the vampire again. He didn't hesitate before whipping out his guns and firing at the vampire's chest. The normal vampire didn't stand a chance against the silver bullets and went down like a rock. The force of the shots had propelled him several feet away and the hunter didn't waste any time as he walked briskly over, drew out his silver killing knife and plunged it into the vampire's throat. He applied more force and there was a sickening crunch as blood sprayed everywhere. Ichigo didn't even flinch as the warm crimson liquid splashed over his face. The vampire gurgled weakly and went silent. He watched without emotion as the knife turned blue briefly before going back to its silver color*. That was enough to buy a meal at least.

He stood up and watched as the bloody corpse broke down into ashes. Thank goodness it was a normal vampire. He didn't want to deal with Ancients right now. All he wanted to do was go back to his bed and sleep. No, he didn't want to sleep. He wanted a hot shower. Being in his line of work was bound to have some nightmares now and then, but recently, the nightmares had become so frequent that sometimes he didn't even know if he was in reality or still trapped in one of his dreams.

His attention was still focused on the nightmares when he stepped into the warm brightly-lit kitchen. Ichigo was dripping wet and covered in vampire blood but his younger fellow student, Rukia still hugged him. Ichigo didn't return the hug. His attention was on the tiny old woman sitting at the kitchen table. It was their next door neighbor, Mrs. Maple. Her eyebrow shot up when she saw him in his disheveled state.

"Good heavens child. What did you get yourself into this time?" she asked and patted the spot next to her. Ichigo kicked off his boots before pulling the dark black sweater off of his body. Rukia whistled at his bare chest but Ichigo ignored her and sat down with a faint squish from his wet pants. Mrs. Maple was hugging her cat and she smiled at him before handing him a cookie.

"I made your favorite chocolate chip cookies just now. They're fresh out of the oven." She said with a smile and Ichigo smiled back awkwardly. He wasn't used to being nice to people. After all, his job of killing vampires sure didn't need a smiling face. The carrot top looked up when he heard footsteps approaching and his mentor came in, balancing a tray full of cups and a teapot in her arms.

"You're back." Juliann greeted him simply. Ichigo nodded and watched as she set the cups down and poured the old woman some tea. "Ichigo, go take a shower and come down for dinner."

He nodded again and made his way up the elegant mahogany steps leading to the bathroom. Before he stepped inside, the door across the hall opened and he turned just in time to meet the dark eyes of his older 'brother'. Ulquiorra didn't say anything as he buttoned up his shirt and slipped the dark jacket over his shoulders. Ichigo watched him descend the stairs silently.

Ulquiorra was always merciless no matter who he was dealing with. Perhaps that was the reason their mentor favored him. The brunet had never hesitated in killing someone. Ichigo studied his own hands silently. The hot water was dripping off of his shoulders and down his cold body. For a moment, the light haired man leaned against the smooth wall and took a few deep breaths. He had failed to kill the vampire and his werewolf mate today. What unnerved him was that it wasn't the only prey he let slip out of his fingers. There was a little girl whom he had let go and still regretted even now. But maybe the couple would be different. Maybe the baby would change the vampire's murderous ways. He certainly hoped so. The girl he had let go had murdered a whole kindergarten before Ulquiorra had shot it in the head before killing it with his own knife.

Ichigo had been severely punished when he came home. The scars on his back were still visible over so many years and were a painful and humiliating reminder of his failure. But he still couldn't pull the trigger today. Perhaps he had hoped the child she carried in her was still innocent and still had his or her fair chance at life. Or was it because the woman had reminded him of the beautiful woman that had haunted his dreams ever since he could remember? The orange haired man shuddered when he remembered the bloody dreams.

Ichigo soaked in the water for a few more minutes before walking to his room and pulling open the door. The sight of someone passed out on his bed made his left eye twitch. His other older 'brother' Shinji, was sprawled on his bed and snoring his head off. The stench of beer and alcohol made him grimace as he quickly moved across the room and into his closet. He dressed quickly in a creamy white sweater and faded blue jeans. His impressive collection of weapons and leather gears were safely hidden at the end of his long closet. The sound of snoring greeted him again as he stepped out of the silent closet. No wonder Ulquiorra didn't want to sleep in the same room as Shinji.

Ichigo walked over to him and slammed his foot down on the other man's spine. The bloodcurdling scream he released didn't even make him flinch. The older hunter slid off the bed and groaned in pain.

"Man, you're taking after that damn emo. That's really bad…" Shinji mumbled as he squinted at the orange haired man. Ichigo just shrugged and raised his foot to kick again and the sandy haired man jumped up and backed out of the room. Ichigo curled his lip at the sight of his spoiled bed. Stupid Shinji was so going to pay…

Dinner went by without any trouble and Ichigo leaned against his seat as he watched Mrs. Maple chatting with his mentor. The room's atmosphere was relaxing and he soon found himself nodding off.

_He was inside the dark room again. The feeling of dread came back as his feet traced the same path again. No matter how many times he tried to stop his legs from moving, he always managed to make it to that room. The voices were still the same, one dark cold man's and a scared woman's voice. There was always a loud pain filled roar at the end of his dreams. That was what scared him so much every time._

"_Please father, don't hurt him!" a woman's pleading voice screamed near him and Ichigo reached his hands out desperately trying to find his way through the darkness. His heart filled with dread when he heard the all too familiar sickening sound. It was the sound of bones breaking. There was another pained roar and another man's voice rang out._

"_Fuck you, James." There was another sickening crunch and the woman gave another dry sob. Ichigo squinted when the light from torches greeted his eyes. His stomach lurched with dread as he set his eyes on the familiar figure again. The woman bound to the silver cross was a vampire, no mistaking that but the way she screamed and pleaded for her father to stop made her seem somehow too delicate to be such a bloody creature. _

_The hunter swallowed the bile rising in his throat when he turned to face the man sprawled on the ground a few feet away. His dark brown hair was dyed a deep red with his own blood. His arms were hanging at an odd angle and there were whip slashes along his back and chest. The flesh peeled back to show the bones underneath. _

"_I'm sure you would love to see your beloved werewolf skinned alive before your eyes?" the silver haired man moved to the woman's side and grabbed her face forcefully and spoke into her ear. Ichigo watched helplessly as tears poured down her cheeks she shook her head and opened her mouth to plead again. He slapped her before she could get the words out. The woman's head snapped to the side with a loud crack and he watched as her broken neck healed slowly. The man on the ground snarled again. _

"_Now, tell me where you hid that disgusting spawn you made with him! Tell me, Masaki!" the older vampire hissed as he fisted her hair. The woman hung limp in his hands and for a moment Ichigo thought she was dead but then her eyes snapped open and she spat in his face. _

"_I would rather die than tell you where our child is!"_

_The silver haired man's lips were drawn down in a firm line as he stood straight and nodded slowly. "Very well then. Sosuke." he motioned for someone in the shadows and Ichigo stepped forward to stop the vampire. But his hands only passed through the dark haired vampire as he stepped forward hesitantly. The pain in the dark brown eyes made his heart lurch._

"_I'm sorry…" the words were whispered into the air as he handed the stakes to the older vampire. The vampire smiled thinly and stepped forward. _

"_And now, to pay for your sins for mating with a disgusting werewolf…" Ichigo grimaced and looked away when the first stake was placed in her left wrist with a loud crunch. _

"_Isshin, I love you! I will always love you!" she shouted her last words before a thick stake was pushed though her throat. Ichigo fell to his knees and covered his ears to block the screams of anguish and pain from the man in the corner. He was pushing against the bindings and clawing at the ground. _

"_Leave her here. The silver will prevent her from healing. Open the portal and let her bleed to death here. Leave him to watch." The words were calm as the older vampire accepted a silk towel from a girl in the shadows and wiped his bloodied fingers. Ichigo watched as a thick plate was drawn from the ceiling and a concentrated stream of sunlight poured down upon the impaled figure. She didn't move._

"_Masaki!" the man screamed. There was no reply._

Ichigo bolted upright in his bed and took several deep breaths. He fumbled with the light switch blindly until a warm hand pressed against his shoulder and squeezed comfortingly. Almost immediately, the neutral mask slipped back on and he turned his head to give Shinji a flat stare. The other man was watching him warily.

"It's alright now, no one's going to hurt anyone…" he leaned forward and hugged the younger male briefly. There was a short snort of disgust from the corner and he turned to see Ulquiorra leaning against the wall polishing a gun.

"Are you alright? Maybe you shouldn't go on the mission tonight… I was going to wake you up downstairs but Mama told me to carry you upstairs." Shinji scratched his head with a small smile. Ichigo was grateful for the dark room. His face was slightly flushed at the thought of being carried by an older man at his age.

"I'm alright. Thanks." He said quickly and slipped out of his bed. "Where's my suit?"

xXx

Half an hour later, they were glancing up at the large mansion perched on the hill. The gates opened slowly and Ulquiorra nodded at the butler before leading them inside. There was a party held at one of the Ancient's house and Ichigo wasn't impressed by the glamour of the furniture as they strolled down the long hallway. Each of them had a button camera and communication devices. He stretched his arms uncomfortably in the suit. Even though he had the leather outfit he usually fought in underneath the dress shirt, he was still uncomfortably restricted in the monkey suit. They had practice taking off the suit as fast as possible at home but he always had trouble with the dress pants.

"We will split here and meet back in half an hour. If any of you takes out the target before that, remember to contact." Ulquiorra said calmly. Even though Shinji was the eldest of the three, Ulquiorra was still a better leader. Perhaps it was the way Shinji was always so laid back and Ulquiorra was such a tight-ass. The three nodded at one another and left for their respected destinations. Ichigo had only taken a few steps before a voice sounded behind him.

"Ah, what have we here? You are bold to come here, Ichi-kun." Ichigo stiffened at the nickname before lashing out at the figure behind him. Kisuke laughed and sidled up to his side again. "So who is it this time? I take it that someone decided to hire you to take out another of our kind?"

The hunter ignored the sarcastic Ancient and began walking toward a deserted hall. Kisuke walked after him with a frown. "Now, sweetheart, don't ignore me…"

Kisuke blinked when the hunter was suddenly pressed against him, knife at his throat. "Go annoy someone who actually gives you a fuck." He said icily before turning away.

The vampire smirked and licked his lips while rubbing his throat thoughtfully as he watched the hunter saunter away. His eyes trailed down to the thin waist and smooth ass. Ichigo was too attractive for this kind of job.

"This party is fucking loaded with Ancients… by the way, how are you guys doing? Oh shit, Aizen found me! I'm out." Shinji's voice came over the mic in Ichigo's ear and Ulquiorra's voice followed soon, sounding oddly breathless.

"Ah…Kenpachi, that damn bastard found me as well…" the mic went silent as Ichigo walked into a spare dining room. He almost rolled his eyes. It was fortunate he didn't have any familiar vampires in the party. Kisuke had been taken care of so he didn't need to worry about that idiot.

Ichigo froze when he felt arms wrap themselves around his middle and sharp teeth nicked his throat teasingly. He elbowed the person in the gut and turned around with his guns drawn. There was a rustle of fabric and Ichigo blinked as the woman disappeared from his view. He turned. The female vampire licked her lips and crossed her slender legs on the table she was sitting on. The thigh-length boots were slightly distracting and Ichigo shook his head at the thought.

"What are you doing in a place like this, little hunter?" she purred at him. The woman leaned forward and showed a good portion of her chest.

"I assume you are Constance? " Ichigo asked smoothly without missing a beat. Her eyes widened in surprise and stepped away from the table. She came closer and trailed her fingers along his arm. Ichigo remained unmoving and she came even closer.

"So…what would you want with me?" she asked with a purr and trailed her fingertips over his jaw. He parted his lips and fixed his smoldering amber eyes on her face as he took her fingertips into his mouth. It was all the invitation she needed and the female vampire pressed him against the wall and pressed her lips against his. He parted them and teased her tongue for a few moments before turning his head to the side and letting her lips trail over his throat.

It didn't take long for her to bite down. Ichigo winced mentally and grimaced. But the woman was too lost in the rich flavors of his blood to notice the gun aimed at her stomach. Hunters had the best tasting blood in all of the races but it was tricky to drink from them because ironically a vampire is most weak when they're feeding, and a hunter is not an easy meal.

The shots were muffled and he watched calmly as the vampire stumbled back with a curse. Her white dress was stained with dark blood. Ichigo shot the vampire in the head a few times, changed bullets and shot again. Even with the muffler on his gun, the sounds of her screams attracted people and Ichigo was soon faced with several normal vampires. They were probably the servants and had heard the noises first when they were passing by on their shifts to fetch food and wine for the partying vampires.

It was time to finish this. Ichigo had last enough time flirting with the female and he was going in for the kill. Ancients were hard to bring down and he would need every bit of energy he could need. Normally the job was done by all three of them but this was a special circumstance. He shot several vampires that had gotten too close and grabbed the woman by her hair. He was about to plunge the knife into her throat when she looked up at him and pleaded softly.

"Please…"

He hesitated and blinked away the familiar vision of the woman from his dreams that had temporarily replaced the vampire's face. The fraction of the second was enough for her to hit him in the temple hard. The blow would have downed a normal person but he twisted his head to follow the blow and was only momentarily dazed, but that was enough for her. She stood up and gave him a disgusted look.

"Hmm… you're such a nasty little thing… I almost feel sorry I have to kill you, you would have made such a good pet…" she reached down and grabbed Ichigo's throat. She leaned closer and bit down hard, only this time the vampire didn't bother to make it pleasurable.

There was a loud scream ringing in his ears. No wait, the sound was coming from his own throat. Ichigo thrashed violently in her grip. The pain was too immense. His body felt like it was on fire, being pricked with a million needles and having his skin peeled off at the same time. Ichigo tried to force the pain from his mind as he make a grab for his knife weakly. More pain greeted him as the woman broke one of his wrists. His other hand grabbed the hilt and with a last bit of energy, the orange haired man swung his arm blindly and caught her across the throat. The gash wasn't deep but it had done its job. He fell to the ground when the vampire released him and grabbed at her throat weakly.

"Ichigo! Hey, are you alright? Ichigo! Answer me!" a voice was shouting in his ear and Ichigo grabbed the wall for support. The door was a few feet away and he wanted to make it before the vampire caught up with him again. The ground tilted dangerously and he nearly fainted from the pain. The hallway hadn't seemed this long when he came in. a shadowy figure stepped out of nowhere and blinked at him in confusion and shock.

"Ichi-kun? What happened to you?" Kisuke asked and Ichigo felt a sense of relief as he threw himself at the vampire.

"Get me…out… of here…" he managed to croak and felt the world tilt and spin before he went limp in the vampire's arms.

The sounds faded along with his vision. The last thing he saw was the smiling face of Masaki. He reached out for the comforting image and whispered something that came to his mind.

"Mother…"

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Top most powerful vampire WAS Starrk and then James comes in second. But the two of them are gone or dead right now so the next in line is Dominique. (she is Jame's fledgling.) Masaki is actually related to James and Seth before they turned into vampires. Hopefully this wasn't too bad.  
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	2. Chapter 2:Ichigo

**AN: This came from my FP account so I changed the names to suit the story. If you think any of the Non-bleach characters can be replaced with Bleach characters, please tell me! and I will give out rewards for those that I use!**

Pairings: StarrkXGrimmjowXIchigo. KenpachiXUlquiorra. AizenXShinji. (Don't whine about the pairings, because I'm not changing them.)

_On with the story then. *drum roll*_

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Two**

Ichigo's eyes snapped open and he tried to sit up immediately. A pain from his side made him wince as he fell back down onto the rather lumpy mattress. He studied his surroundings and let his eyes wonder over the unfamiliar ceiling. He couldn't remember anything past the point of Constance trying to suck his blood. No, there was also Kisuke. He had asked the vampire to get him out of the mansion before he fainted.

"Ah, good. You're awake. Gave me a bit of a scare when you washed up by the bridge." The voice startled the hunter and he tried to sit again. Pain flared up in his side and Ichigo curled up against the bed with a loud gasp. After his vision stopped swimming, he looked up and studied his savior. It was a man in his late thirties or so. He had a mass of tangled black hair and an unshaven face. Then the orange haired man turned and looked at the man's home. There was a small sagging couch with a faded quilt hanging over it and an even smaller TV in a corner. There were a lot of cats. His brain clicked into place.

_Oh gods, I got kidnapped by a hobo._

"Are you a hobo?" Ichigo blurted out suddenly. The man snorted and turned to him. Ichigo noticed the man had really deep stormy grey eyes and long lashes that looked somewhat out of place on such a dirty face.

"Sorry to disappoint, but I'm not a hobo. Very interesting, you have a fetish for such people?" he asked and tilted his head to look at the hunter. Ichigo ducked his head and flushed bright red when he realized he was in the man's bed and wearing nothing. There was a thick bandage covering his chest but still left everything else bare to the eye. He glared up at the man.

"I demand you give my clothes back." He said coldly.

The man just shrugged his shoulders. "You can have them when they dry off. You were covered in blood when I found you, you know. You also had three broken ribs, a fractured wrist and a puncture through your left lung. I'm surprised that you made it through…although I doubt you'll be leaving here soon. What's your name, youngster?"

Ichigo looked down at his hands. "Ichigo."

"Nice name, I'm Starrk, by the way. Feel free to explore my dump if you're up to it." He shrugged his shoulders and walked out. Ichigo looked around. Starrk really looked like he needed money. He laid back down when he started to feel dizzy. The slowness of the healing was what scared him. Normally he would have been able to heal any wound after a good night's sleep. By the looks of it, he had fainted for at least a day. It was mid afternoon right now. He sighed when he realized his cell phone was missing. Ichigo vowed silently to himself to kill Kisuke when he got back.

A loud hiss caught his attention and he sat up just in time to see a black kitten latched firmly onto one of Starrk's trouser legs. The man grimaced and looked up. "Oh hello. Say 'hi' to Angel. She's a real bitch. Oww… don't bite me!" the hunter tried to hide his smile as the man kicked at the kitten on his leg. It refused to let go and growled deep in its throat. Starrk overbalanced and fell over the small couch. Laundry went flying as he struggled with the cat.

Ichigo checked the other man's aura with a frown. He was definitely human alright. But there was a nagging feeling in his gut, especially after he had seen the grey eyes. It reminded him of someone he had seen a long time ago. But no matter how much Ichigo thought about it, he couldn't recall.

xXx

"Here open your mouth. Bear with me here, I know my cooking sucks." The man was holding up a spoon of lumpy grey material that looked a lot like cat vomit. Ichigo wondered if it was toxic but obviously the man had eaten his own food.

"I can cook…" he said softly before leaning forward and taking the food into his mouth. It tasted like…Ichigo blanched. "I'm allergic to oatmeal!" he grounded out through his teeth before spitting the mouthful out.

"How is that? Oh…" Starrk stopped talking when he saw the hunter's tongue start swelling. "Oh gosh, I'm sorry. I swear I wasn't trying to kill you…" he trialed off and wiped his brow with the end of his t-shirt nervously. The hunter just glared at him in silence.

"Uh…should I go get something else for you?" he finally asked, stormy grey eyes still concerned. Ichigo shook his head and lay back down. They sat there in silence for a few minutes. Starrk sighed.

"Sorry again. I guess you should leave soon, I don't want to kill you with my cooking by mistake." He suddenly looked like he remembered something and ran off into another room before coming back with something in his hand. "You dropped this."

Ichigo blinked as his cell phone came into view. The hunter sighed. He wanted to contact Shinji to come and get him, but his tongue was too sore to speak. Damn his stupid allergies. He flipped open the phone and saw twenty-five missed calls from Shinji and ten from Ulquiorra's cell. Ichigo sighed and sent a text message to his fellow hunters to reassure them. Then feeling oddly drained, he let himself fall back onto the mattress. He could deal with the mess tomorrow. Ichigo closed his eyes and fell asleep.

"Rise and shine, boy!" the sound of Starrk's voice made him snap out of his nightmare. He was sweating and twisted in the blankets. Ichigo took several deep breaths and closed his eyes in annoyance. Part of him was grateful for the rude awakening the other part still wanted to sleep some more. The man was standing in a pair of bright yellow banana boxers and beaming down at him. Ichigo groaned and shook his head. He was feeling much better than yesterday but he was still reluctant to get up. He suddenly felt guilty for sleeping on the only bed in the house.

"Where did you sleep?" he asked reluctantly. The man shrugged his shoulders and went to the kitchen.

"I slept on the floor because the cats like the couch." He said and rubbed his back with a small grimace.

Ichigo flipped open his cell phone and glanced down at the bunch of unread messages. Shinji had asked for the street address he was at and told him to get his stuff ready to be picked up. Ichigo waited until the man had come back before asking him where they were at exactly. He was mildly surprised when Starrk shook his head.

"You're a hunter. Rescuing you was risky enough. I won't have you dragging another bunch of people here, not when I've finally gotten used to this part of town." He said with a frown. "I know this sounds selfish but I would rather you leave on your own when you heal and forget you ever met me."

Ichigo felt slightly puzzled. The man was clearly a human even if his eyes had the same dizzying affect of a vampire on Ichigo. He nodded, respecting the man's wishes.

The next few days dragged by rather slowly, until Ichigo could actually walk around the room unaided. After that, Starrk immediately made him work to pay off the fees for bandages and medicine. The hunter complied and washed the animals the man dragged home. He had found out a few days ago that Starrk worked as a vet at a small pet clinic and he often lugged home injured animals and other pets. But the man was extremely lazy and tended to sleep at the oddest hours of the day.

After washing a few cats without getting scratched or bitten like Starrk. The man had come up with a conclusion. "You're a cat person." He said as they both sat on a low rooftop next to the man's balcony. Ichigo felt slightly out of place in his black leather pants and jacket. Everything about the neighborhood was peaceful and innocent. He almost felt guilty for ending up there and bringing his dark presence into such a place.

"You know, I think I'm more of a bird person." Starrk suddenly said and brought the hunter back to reality. Ichigo blinked at him and nodded along. "You don't really look like a hunter… you've got that dreamy look of a child underneath the cold mask you always slip on to hide your feelings from the rest of the world."

Again the human named Starrk surprised him. Those deep grey eyes were peering at him curiously and Ichigo refused to meet them. For a moment, the uncomfortable feeling was back. He was out of place here and really needed to leave if he didn't want Constance to come and find him. Shinji had told him a few days ago that Constance was a fledgling of Dominique and that wasn't too good. The female Ancient was definitely hot for his blood. Ichigo grimace at that thought. He had just intended to flirt with her a bit until she fed a bit to make the killing blow but the vampire seemed to have taken in interest in him.

"Hey, dreaming off in your little world again?" he suddenly glanced up to see Starrk looking down at him with a curious look. "Do you want to leave?"

Ichigo smiled bitterly and nodded. He didn't belong in this man's normal life. Somehow a pat of him longed for the easy life. Starrk took care of cats and dogs everyday and had a small salary to raise himself while Ichigo's food depended on how many damned vampires he killed. For the few days he stayed there, he had taught the man some simple dishes to make when he left, just so he wouldn't poison himself by accident. There was always laughter in the small messy house when Starrk was around. He didn't make as much money as Juliann did, but he was certainly happier than her. The feeling of warmth was inevitable when he was around Starrk. Ichigo found himself smiling more often when he was washing a scrawny cat and watching another one clawing out Starrk's eyes. And now he was leaving. A wave of sadness washed through him and he had to remind himself that he didn't belong in such a place.

"I'll leave tomorrow morning. Good night." He said calmly and made his way inside the room. Starrk didn't answer and stayed on the balcony.

That night, Ichigo had a hard time sleeping. The nightmares were more vivid than ever but he didn't wake up when the werewolf screamed for the woman like he always did. The dream changed settings and he found himself standing on a fancy balcony overlooking a large land.

"_Master, he is waiting for you." A servant bowed her head respectfully. _

_Ichigo's eyes widened as a figure stood up and approached where he was standing. The familiar grey eyes looked at him unseeingly and he almost called out to the vampire. Straight black hair framed his breathtakingly beautiful face and stormy grey eyes stared out at the scene before him. He didn't smile. _

"_Alright. I will be there in a few minutes." He said calmly. The servant bowed again and left. For a few moments the vampire kept his gaze locked on the land before him before speaking. "Isshin, you can stop your ridiculous game of hide-and-seek. Come out, I need to talk to you before I go see me brother." _

_The hunter whiled around when a shadowed figure stepped out of nowhere and smirked. It was the brown haired man he had seen in his more bloody dreams. His dark hair hung around his face like a halo of light and the blue eyes twinkled with amusement. There were no bloody wounds on his body and he was dressed in a light tunic. _

"_I don't see why you just won't take the place of power. You're more capable than James, aren't you?" he said and pulled a woman from behind him. Ichigo's breath caught in his throat as he stared at the woman. Masaki's hair was bound in a simple braid and she wore a black dress that made her pale skin stand out even more vivid._

"_I don't want to see my people slaughtering each other like animals again. If James can rule without war, then I'm more than happy to stand by." The man replied simply. The werewolf snorted and grimaced but he stayed silent._

"_Uncle, look at him. Isn't he amazing?" the female vampire stepped forward and held out a bundle to the older vampire. The black-haired man took the baby and Ichigo watched as a small gentle smile flickered onto his face. He looked up at the woman tenderly._

"_I can already tell he will do wonders. What did you name him?" he asked softly._

"_We decided to call our baby I—" _

_Ichigo didn't get to hear the name. The door burst open and the silver-haired vampire, James entered the room. His eyes narrowed when he saw his brother standing on the now empty balcony. The dark haired man stood perfectly still and ignored the dark glare._

"_I know they were here. You can't lie to me this time. I can smell the werewolf's stench." His silver eyes flashed in challenge. The other vampire just shrugged._

"_You cannot win against me in a physical fight. I do not feel threatened by your words. They deserve a chance together. Your daughter is truly happy. Why can't you just let go of your prejudice?" he asked and turned around to face James. The vampire narrowed his eyes and suddenly lunged forward, fangs bared to---_

"How long do you want to sleep? Your cell has been ringing since four thirty. Damn, I have a headache." Ichigo opened his eyes to stare into the same grey eyes from his dream.

"You…" he whispered before he could stop himself. The human male raised his eyebrow and frowned.

"I hope your brothers don't loose their patience and come get you by force." Starrk scratched his unshaven face and grimaced. Ichigo nodded and packed his very little belongings. Half an hour later, he was ready to go.

"Hope you can come by to visit some times. It'll be nice for me to have a little bit of help washing the animals…" the human said in a rather awkward voice.

Ichigo paused by the door and turned around to study the human. Starrk shrugged in embarrassment and looked away. Ichigo smiled slightly.

"I will respect your wishes and forget this place. Good bye …" he said and stepped out onto the street. The sun poured its warmth down on his shoulders and he turned for one last glimpse of the man's house. Starrk was standing on the old balcony and watching him with a small thoughtful frown. Ichigo sighed softly before making his way over to the nearest coffee bar.

xXx

"Man, I thought you were dead for sure! Urahara said he almost got caught so he left you by the bridge and was going to double back for you when he lost the pursuers but I think he's just a fucking coward. Don't ever do that again!" Ichigo's face stayed neutral as Shinji grabbed him into an enthusiastic bear hug and rubbed his head affectionately. The brunet sitting beside him pursed his lip at the childish behavior.

"Good, your wounds have healed. You can come on the bug shift with me this afternoon." Ulquiorra said curtly and sipped his black coffee. Ichigo grimaced in annoyance. A bug shift was slang for hunting inferior vampires down in the dark smelly sewers. They didn't need good bullets for them but the exploding gore and deafening screams were very nerve-grinding, not to mention the smell of rotting flesh. Killing those things were usually the jobs of new apprentices under Juliann, but sometimes when their numbers got too much, older hunters were sent down.

"Not to worry, I'll go with you too. It's too stuffy with just emo boy here. You might just suffocate under the heavy no-nonsense atmosphere." Shinji said with a smirk and winced when Ulquiorra stepped on his foot under the table. "Fuck, who shoved a stick up your ass and left it there?" he said half-jokingly.

Ichigo watched as Ulquiorra's eyes widened in shock and blinked when a flash of pain appeared in the hunter's eyes. The brunet's hand went to his bandaged neck briefly before lowering it down on Shinji's face. The deafening slap made the whole coffee shop go silent and Ulquiorra stood stiffly. Without a backward glance, he let the restaurant. The blond stared at the back of his fellow hunter in shock.

"Your big mouth will get you killed someday soon." Ichigo said calmly and motioned for the waitress. They paid for the coffee and left the restaurant.

"Dude, you're going back to the gas station?" Shinji asked suddenly. Ichigo nodded silently. When he wasn't hunting down a vampire, he worked part-time at a gas station. He usually washed cars and fixed a few problems for people. The pay was tiny compared to his hunting fees but he didn't feel like staying around Juliann when he was free. The woman was not the best companion to be around. The free time he got to spent to at least pretend to be normal was great. The feeling of belonging made him relax. Sometimes Ichigo thought about leaving for another city and getting away from all the chaos but a part of him knew there was no turning back from the day he got his hunting tattoo.

Shinji walked him to the gas station before turning and leaving. "Come back at four this afternoon."

Ichigo glanced at his watch. There were six more hours left until he had to go. The hunter smiled politely at the gas station manager as he slipped into his grimy uniform. The tools felt good in his hands as he worked on the car of an old lady. She didn't leave it there like most people. Instead, she stayed and chatted with him. Ichigo enjoyed the small talk as he fixed the small problem. He stiffened when he felt a hand suddenly land on his shoulder.

"Kisuke, I would suggest you fuck off or I just might gut you for last time." Ichigo said in an icy voice. The vampire just brushed away the threat and sat down next to the old lady much to Ichigo's annoyance.

"I came to warn you. You should thank me for it." He leaned forward and dropped his voice. "Constance is begging Dominique to have you as her pet. You wouldn't believe how expensive you are on the night market right now. Mercenaries will be after you all the time now…" He smirked.

"Did you forget I'm a mercenary too?" He hissed back before turning to smile at the old lady.

"It's all done, ma'am." He said and wiped his forehead. The old woman thanked him, reached up to pet his head and left to pay for the repair.

Ichigo took the time to throw a dirty look at the vampire sitting next to him. Kisuke looked slightly bored. The vampire was a freelancer. He didn't own a land or a bunch of slaves like some of the other vampires. He was a merchant and did business with all kinds of people. He was a useful source of information sometimes, which was the only reason Ichigo hadn't killed the annoying thing yet.

"I suggest you hide for a while, at least until Constance looses her interests in you. It's dangerous to go against one of Dominique's. And not to mention, you also pissed off Kenpachi last time you killed one of his fledglings so I'm guessing he's not going to be on your side." Ichigo ignored the chatty Ancient and went back to washing another car.

"I'm not leaving anywhere. I've been through worse. Dominique won't last against Juliann. As for that Constance, I won't make the same mistake as last time. If I see her again, she is so dead. "

Kisuke sighed and rolled his eyes. "They always say 'curiosity kills the cat' but in your case it's 'stubbornness kills the cat'. But I won't let you get hurt. I'll always protect you, sweetheart..." he make kissing gestures at the hunter.

Ichigo's only reply was a flying wrench aimed at the vampire's face.

xXx

"Stop complaining!" Ulquiorra grounded out through his teeth and turned to give Shinji a dark glare. The blond-haired man pouted but did as he was told. They were trudging through the dark underground sewage system slowly and shining their flashlights at every smelly corner. It was by no means a good place to be. Dirty water leaked from the cracked pipes above their heads and rats squeaked as they darted past the three figures.

"Hey, look at this." Ichigo ignored Shinji, who was shining his flashlight at a pack of rats in the corner. The rats scattered and screeched as they fell into the water. The eldest hunter cackled in glee, took a few hurried steps forward to catch up and promptly fell flat on his face. The other two whirled around with their guns drawn and focused on the sandy-haired hunter.

"Aww, fuck! I'm covered in…rat shit and other crap! God, I think I ate some of it…" he suddenly sat up and began wiping off his face. Ulquiorra curled his lip at the sight and turned to walk away.

"Wait, what's this?" Ichigo bent down to examine the thing that had tripped the older hunter and frowned. It looked like the pelt of some kind or animal floating in the knee-high water. He flipped it over with his the front of his gun and almost fell over in shock. It took all of his training not to puke at the sight. It was the ripped-off skin of a wolf.

"Damn…looks like someone got in trouble down here. But why would a werewolf be down in the sewers anyway?" Shinji peered over Ichigo's shoulder and grimaced at the bloody thing. "Hey, Ichi, you ok?"

"_Peel it off of him. I want it made into a rug for the front hall." The cold voice said. Not short after, there was a heart wrenching scream of pain…_

"_ISSHIN!" the woman's voice echoed through the hall._

Ichigo flinched away from the skin and closed his eyes to hide his discomfort. The flashes from his dreams were coming more often now and he found them distracting and disturbing. He pinched the bridge of his nose and tried to breathe calmly.

"We're not alone. Ready your guns." Ulquiorra's voice suddenly cut in. he turned and saw the older hunter close his eyes in concentration. When he opened them, they glowed an eerie bright green before fading back to their normal hazel green. "There are about seventy coming this way. We'd better find a better place to fight. Chances are we can't outrun them."

Ichigo snapped out of his dazed state and checked his guns. They turned to follow the brunet. The three hunters had just reached their destination when the first one came out of nowhere and leaped for Shinji with a strange hiss. Ichigo readied himself for the screams and exploding bodies. A filthy blond inferior vampire launched itself at him and got a mouthful of bullets. The orange haired man curled his lip as blood and bits of brain splattered onto his face. He didn't understand how Ulquiorra could stay almost spotless in such situations. The brunet hunter was shooting calmly and dodging the flying intestines at the same time with ease.

Something slammed into Ichigo's gut and threw him off balance. The vampire tried to sink his fangs into the tough leather jacket he had on and the hunter shot it in the left eye. Ichigo was back on his feet in less than a second and nodded when Shinji asked him if he was alright. They had almost killed the whole lot when one of the inferior vampires did something strange.

It started to climb _away_ from them. Normally they were very bloodthirsty and if the creature had any body heat they would attack without hesitation. Ichigo kept an eye on the one that was sneaking away as he fired at the ones that got too close. It was too late when he realized what the thing was aiming for. All he could do was watch in horror as the vampire disappeared. There was a hatch right above their heads and the inferior vampire pried it open and climbed into the outside world.

"Ulquiorra! Shinji! We have to go." He pointed to the opening where others were crawling out after the inferior vampire. Normally the manholes were bolted down from above, but this was the hatch they had crawled in, so it wasn't locked. It took him a while to get over the shock that they had been tricked.

The screams above started not soon after the last one crawled out. The hunters followed but at a slower pace. The ladder was long and covered with fungus and other slimy things. It was very easy to loose their footing and slip. Ichigo looked up just in time as the last inferior vampire slipped through and closed the opening with a loud bang. There was a scraping sound as the bolt was pushed back into place.

They were stuck inside the sewer with rabid vampires and limited bullets. Glowing eyes blinked eerily from the darkness and the vampires hissed before they launched themselves at the three hunters.

"Oh shit." Shinji said.

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**What do you think? *hopeful eyes* Review please!  
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	3. Chapter 3:Ichigo

**AN: Another update! YAY! If there are any unclear parts, feel free to ask me through reviews! Enjoy chapter three!**

**Thanks to Beautiful Feather for your encouraging review! *throws hugs at everyone that reviewed* I love every word you guys write to me! Wish me luck on my tests next week! =)**

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Three**

Ichigo grimaced as blood splattered over his face. The inferior vampires had them cornered near the ladder leading to the dead end and he was feeling more and more tire by the second. He shook his head and aimed carefully. The force of one bullet brought down two vampires. The other two hunters were shooting in a similar manner. Their bullets were on low supply and the three of them were getting tired too fast. They had to find a way out of there.

"I'm going to search for another exit." Ichigo said to the other two as he aimed again. "You two stay here and cover me. I'll open this hatch when I get out."

Without Ulquiorra's consent, he turned and shot his way out of the heavy load of vampires. Sounds dimmed into nothing as he made his way further into the tunnel. There was no time to feel disgust as water dripped down his shirt. He had to find an exit fast. Even if a handful had escaped, they were dangerous and most importantly, they were contagious. He grimaced and moved faster.

Ichigo felt the hair on his neck stand up as footsteps sounded behind him. Whoever was following him was talented enough to keep their footsteps in sync with his own. Ichigo moved a few more feet before stopping suddenly. The footsteps faltered immediately but not fast enough for the hunter. He turned and whipped out his guns. Ichigo cursed silently to himself when he realized it was a werewolf. The bright blue eyes blinked in confusion.

"You're not Bobby." He said finally. The hunter narrowed his eyes and frowned but kept his guns pointed at the werewolf.

"What do you want?" he demanded harshly. Ichigo's patience was wearing thin. The werewolf shrugged and put up his hands in a surrendering manner.

"I'm just trying to find Bobby."

Ichigo ignored his words and spoke impatiently. "Do you live down here? If you do, tell me an exit."

The other man narrowed his eyes and frowned. "Why should I help you out?" he asked suspiciously. Ichigo answered his question by shooting him in the shoulder. The wolf growled in pain and grabbed his shoulder.

"You don't stand a chance against me. And your buddy is dead. I saw him on my way in. The vampires killed him. If you don't want to die, then lead me out of here." The orange haired man snarled. The wolf looked up in shock.

"Bobby can't be dead! I just saw him yesterday."

"His skin is floating in the water at the end of the tunnel. You can go back for it later. Now move it, werewolf." Ichigo glared at the werewolf as it snarled in anger. He muttered something about hating vampires and turned to reluctantly lead the way.

"Don't you dare take me to a dead end. I'll skin you alive." Ichigo said and the wolf snorted.

"Fine."

They walked for about thirty minutes until fresh air reached Ichigo's nose. The wolf stopped and glared at him again.

"Here's your stupid exit. Now leave."

Ichigo ignored him and made his way over to the loose hatch. He kicked it open on the third try and looked out. They were at the end of the sewers. He grimaced before taking a deep breath and jumping out through the hole into the dirty water. He swam toward the bank of the dirty stream and pulled himself out. He was shaking water out of his eyes when the cell phone in his waterproof back pocket buzzed.

"Yeah?" Ichigo pressed the cell to his ear and began walking briskly, his shoes sloshing from the wet water.

"Forget about rescuing us. We're out. Shinji called for some unnecessary help. We are on Main Street at a supermarket. You'd better come fast." The line went dead and Ichigo rolled his eyes. Why didn't they say they had help coming? He had shot a werewolf, forced it to lead him out, and walked through miles of sewage to jump into a stream full of garbage to get out and all they had to do was make a call? Those stupid hunters.

Half an hour later, he made his way into the almost abandoned supermarket. The crowd had been a problem to get through. Everyone was running in the opposite direction and Ichigo kept getting swept away by the crowd. By the time he had spotted Ulquiorra's head of dark hair, the fight was already over. He was counting the losses while standing next to a vampire with dark ridiculously odd hair. He didn't need to look twice to recognize that aura. It was Kenpachi. Ichigo turned and walked in the other direction. He didn't feel like fighting the powerful Ancient right now and no doubt the vampire would be looking for him blood after killing his fledgling. Why the violent and not overly bright Kenpachi was there without a fight breaking out was a mystery to Ichigo.

He found Shinji without much trouble. But what surprised him was the familiar looking brown-haired vampire standing next to him. The Ancient was obviously trying to talk to him but he ignored the vampire and searched through the messy hall for any survivors with a grim look on his usually casual face. Ichigo moved toward the two figures and made his way over to the elder hunter. The vampire moved to stand closer to Shinji in a sort of protective way but he just shoved him away with an annoyed growl. Ichigo studied him. The vampire looked so familiar in a way he couldn't recall. He had a rare eye color. Vampires usually had golden eyes or black, but the vampire before him had identical deep maroon eyes that were radiating concern toward the hunter running around the empty hall.

Ichigo took a step toward Shinji and froze when he saw another inferior vampire slinking out of sight, a trail of black congealed blood smearing on the ground after him. He dropped his original path and made his way over to the emergency staircase. Two shots rang out and the vampire was dead on the ground. But the damage was done. Ichigo locked eyes with the pregnant woman lying in the corner with a bite mark on her neck.

"Oh my god…" he moved toward her and swallowed nervously. The skin above her collarbone was broken and bleeding. She was so pale… Ichigo snapped out of his horror when she reached for him with a weak hand. He steadied himself with a deep breath before moving to her side.

"Margaret! Oh gods, where are you, honey?" a male's panicked voice reached Ichigo's ears as he pulled her to her feet. The pregnant woman took an unsteady step toward the sound and Ichigo shook his head silently before helping her inside the brightly lit room and laying her against one of the couches. He grabbed a towel on sale and ripped it out of the plastic bag before gently pressing it against her neck.

"Shhh… I will go find your husband. Stay here." He shouted Shinji's name and watched as the blond man made his way over. The two vampires followed him but he didn't seem to notice.

"Take care of her, she's been bitten. I'm going to get the husband." He informed the other hunter. He nodded and grabbed a bottle from a white box. Ichigo didn't get very far when a thin man just over thirty stumbled out of the emergency exit. He was sobbing and trembling like a leaf. The man nearly collapsed into Ichigo's arms as he stepped forward.

"Where's my Margaret? Please don't hurt her…" he was crying even harder and Ichigo shifted uncomfortably. He helped the man over to where the woman was lying down. She was unmoving and Shinji's shoulders were slumped. Ichigo looked down at him.

"I couldn't stop the infection… there's a big chance she's going to turn into one of them..." he wiped at his eyes in frustration. "I couldn't stop it…" the vampire next to him leaned down and whispered something into his ear and the sandy-haired man flinched away from him.

Ichigo pushed his way past Shinji and crouched down. Before anyone could protest, he pressed his lips to her wound and sucked hard. The tainted blood was bitter and scalding on his tongue but he ignored the feeling and spat out the mouthful before going for another. He didn't remember when Ulquiorra appeared at his side and grabbed his shoulder roughly.

"Are you insane? It is poisonous! What if you get infected?" he hissed at the crouching orange haired man.

Ichigo ignored the words and continued. The man was whispering to his wife and holding her hand tightly. Kenpachi appeared at the brunet's side and drew him away.

"That little hunter of yours is smarter than he looks. That might just work, well that is if he has enough time..." he whispered teasingly into the pale hunter's ear before ghosting his tongue over it. Ulquiorra wrenched his body out of the vampire's arms and glared up at the grinning face.

"Why are you still here? I didn't call for you." He hissed in annoyance.

"Well, I always come when my baby is in danger. And besides I was curious as to where Aizen was going." He said and reached for the hunter again. Ulquiorra glared a cold warning and focused his attention onto the woman on the couch again. She didn't seem to be breathing.

Then the brown haired vampire suddenly looked up and in the blink of an eye he was gone. A loud crunch sounded from across the room and Shinji turned to see Aizen walking back with a calm expression while wiping at his bloody fingers. The corpse of the inferior vampire was thrown casually away, its head and body separated. Shinji grimaced at the gore and focused his attention on Ichigo.

Ichigo's heart lunched with dread when he realized the woman had stopped breathing. He reached for her neck to feel the pulse. There was none. She had lost too much blood. He suddenly felt so frustrated with himself and the two hunters watched as their third brother suddenly stood and threw himself against a nearby wall. Ichigo pounded the smooth marble wall with his fists until they were bleeding and aching along with his heart. He pressed his hot forehead against the cool stone and let out a scream of anger.

"She's gone." The brown haired vampire reached down to touch the woman's neck. "But not for long, she's going to be back soon. Best get ready." He said softly to the sitting hunter.

"But what about our baby?! What is happening to my wife?" the man suddenly shouted at the vampires. He was trembling and sobbing with fright and sadness. Ichigo watched the scene with glazed eyes and slid to the floor numbly.

"Kenpachi, erase him." Ulquiorra said softly. He looked away as the tall vampire moved forward with an uncharacteristic frown. He grabbed the man's head in one hand and pressed his other index and middle finger against the man's temple. He went down like a rock and the Ancient slung the human man over his shoulder and disappeared without a word. Ulquiorra took a deep breath and readied his gun. They watched the woman with weary eyes. For a moment, the silence was almost too much to bear. Then she moved and Ichigo closed his own unfocused eyes when he heard the gunshot.

xXx

He woke up in his own bed. For a moment, Ichigo felt puzzled why he was feeling so empty. Then the afternoon's events came back to him in a tidal wave of pictures and sounds. He fell back onto his bed and stayed like that for a few moments. Another innocent soul disappeared without even having their chance at life. Another happily married couple torn apart. The dark-haired hunter suddenly felt so useless. He was only one against a million. What good did it do if he killed as many as he could? They would just make more of their kind. He didn't make a goddamn difference in the world. All he did was fail.

"Hey, don't be so hard on yourself. Come on down for some food, okay?" he didn't bother looking up at Shinji's concerned face. The other man was trying to appear nonchalant. The need to go out was suddenly too much to bear and he stood up after checking his weapons. Ichigo ignored the older hunter's words of protest and made his way to his closet. He pulled on a white shirt and a thick black jacket and leather pants. After changing a set of guns, he made his way downstairs and straight for the door.

"I'm going out." He said and shut the door behind him.

Ulquiorra looked up from where he was sitting on the sofa with a book on his lap. He trained his hazel green eyes on Shinji and stared. The other hunter looked up and scratched his head.

"What are you staring at me for? I didn't say anything…" he muttered. After enduring a full minute of unblinking staring from the brunet, Shinji stood up with a dejected sigh. "Fine, I'll go check on him. Why are you always such a bully, ya emo?"

Ichigo stood outside the club's entrance for several minutes. The property beyond was all vampire's and if he picked a fight there, they were more than welcome to get rid of him without the protection from the government. The rules were that Ancients stayed on their property and humans and hunters didn't cross. The dividing line was marked very clearly and if any did wander inside, then they were on their own. The hunter thought about it for a few moments before pushing the doors to Chaos open and stepping inside the nightclub. His presence was noticed almost immediately and several heads turned in his direction. Ichigo ignored the excited murmuring and stares from the vampires leaning casually against the bar and sat down on one of the stools. The bartender approached him with a coy smirk.

"What would you like?" she asked in a seductive voice.

"Just water." He said calmly. The hunter had learned rather painfully along time ago that it wasn't safe to order anything beside water there. The last time he had ordered a martini there, it had knocked him out for a whole week.

"Quite bold for a hunter to walk in here all by himself at a time like this, hmm?" Ichigo looked up to see a honey-eyed vampire looking down at him with interest. He lowered his head and ignored the talkative guy.

"Hey, don't fucking ignore me when I speak to you!" the vampire's face contorted in rage and he made a grab for Ichigo's arm. The hunter moved faster than the human eye could follow and in less than a second, the vampire found himself with a gun jammed down his throat. Ichigo held the vampire for a moment and dared him to do something. When he finally held up his hands in defeat, the hunter released him and sat back down. The vampire looked quite humiliated from all the laughter and murmuring around him and smoothed back his ruffled hair. He made a big show of going in the opposite direction and leaving but Ichigo kept an eye on his form and suddenly raised his gun.

The vampire had made another move toward him and Ichigo didn't hesitate to shoot him. He was obviously a normal vampire but probably the fledgling of some high-up Ancient to be hanging around the club so arrogantly. The shot sent the vampire toppling over a large table. The hunter stood in one smooth fluid move, walked over to the writhing figure and pressed his boot down on the still healing vampire's chest. He cursed and tried to move away.

"I would suggest for you to get some real strength before trying to mess with me." Ichigo said calmly. He looked up at the whispering forms standing around and enjoying their drinks "anyone else wants to pick a fight?"

No one answered and he let the vampire go. A loud clap broke the silence and he turned toward the noise. Ichigo's eyes widened slightly when he saw the vampire. It was the one that had been hanging around Shinji that afternoon. He was unfamiliar with the brown haired one and hadn't seen him around the city much but one glance told him not to pick a fight with him. Ichigo was stubborn but not stupid. The Ancient walked over and smiled. The hunter's amber eyes flickered toward the exit and his eyes widened as he saw the other familiar black head of hair in the farther back. Kenpachi was sitting on one of the plush leather couches in the private part of the club and holding a handful of women in his arms. One look was enough to tell he was busy feeding. The one standing before him held out a hand and waited for him to shake. Ichigo ignored the hand and sat down again. He kept his guns ready just in case and gave the vampire a closer look-over. He was wearing a black silk dress shirt with the top three buttons undone and revealing his pale throat. It was almost arrogant, the way he dressed. There was one silver and one black cross on his left ear. His thick brown curls were swept back from his face in a careless manner and the piercing maroon eyes were framed by thick lashes and he had donned a pair of silver framed glasses. He was by far one of the most elegant vampires he'd ever laid eyes on.

"You really are a bold little hunter. First Kenpachi's then mine. Not that I mind him getting hurt a little. That boy has a big mouth and likes to mess with people more powerful than him." he said as he sat down next to Ichigo. The hunter declined his offer to buy a drink and ignored his words. The vampire didn't seem to be offended by the silence, just slightly amused. "You look very much like someone I once held very dear." He said.

"I don't believe we've met before." He replied calmly. The vampire just chuckled. The silence didn't last. The door burst open and a blond hunter stepped into the nightclub. He scanned the crowd of people with an agitated frown. Ichigo felt the vampire next to him stiffen suddenly before standing up. The next second he was gone and holding his arms apart in a welcoming gesture in front of Shinji. The older man just ignored him and pushed the vampire aside.

"Berry boy, time to go. You haven't had dinner yet. Juliann told me to come and get you. You'd best get back before Ulquiorra skins me alive." He stepped toward the orange haired man but the vampire stepped in front of him and wrapped an arm around his waist.

"What a pleasant surprise... twice in one day. Are you tempting me?" the brown haired vampire nuzzled the hunter's neck with an affectionate smile. Shinji's left eye twitched and he elbowed the vampire in the stomach.

"Fuck off, Sosuke." He growled and yanked his arm out of the vampire's grip. Ichigo frowned. The name was so familiar but he could hardly place it. It was like he had heard it before, somewhere else. He didn't make a move to stand and just watched the older hunter struggle to throw him off.

"You haven't paid me back for helping you this afternoon, mercenary." The vampire murmured lowly and wrapped his arms around Shinji's waist again.

"Perhaps you can pay me back with your body, hmm?" he said and traced Shinji's lip. The older mercenary didn't waste time by head butting the vampire. Sosuke pulled back with a curse and a sudden hard glint appeared in his eye.

"The younger hunter can not leave unless you agree to stay." He said in an icy tone. Shinji pulled at his guns but his hands closed around nothing. Sosuke smirked and dangled them in front of the blond hunter with a satisfied smile.

"Fuck." He finally said and turned to the door. "I'd better see you back home and eating when I get back." He bit out savagely before leaving through the door. The vampire threw his head back and laughed before he followed the older hunter outside. He gave Ichigo a parting smile before following the older hunter. Ichigo didn't feel like leaving. He wanted to blow off some steam. The carrot top paid for the iced water and left the club. The vampires watched him as he left. It was raining slightly when he got outside. His old motorcycle was still where he left it and Ichigo hesitated before sliding onto the wet seat.

He rode around town a bit before stopping by the shopping mall. He watched in the shadows as people went in and out of the stores. A small smile flickered briefly over Ichigo's lips when he saw a small girl pouting at her mother playfully and tugging the exasperated woman toward a candy store. They were so innocent and happy in their own little worlds. He stayed where he was for a long time. The rain gradually soaked into the thick jacket but he didn't feel cold. Ichigo didn't know how long he stayed in the shadows, wrapped in his own thoughts when a hand grabbed his arm and tugged. He looked down in surprise as the girl from the candy store tugged his jacket again.

"Hey mister, are you cold out here?" she asked innocently. He smiled gently and shook his head before reaching down and patting her head with a gloved hand. She smiled and held up her lollypop. "Here, this is for you. Mama told me I have to share." She said with a bright smile. Ichigo blinked in surprise and accepted her gift. The girl pulled back her blond hair and gave another smile before running back to the smiling woman. She picked the little girl up and she waved at him over her mother's shoulder. He gave a tiny wave as well. Ichigo smiled as he studied the lollypop in his hand. It was still warm.

Feeling slightly lighter than before, Ichigo slowly made his way back to Juliann's house.

xXx

"Haven't you had enough yet?" Shinji demanded in annoyance as he was roughly yanked toward the hard body. Aizen had him pressed against the wall of a nearby alley and was feeding from his neck. He was already starting to feel lightheaded. The pleasure from the bite was making him sleepy and Aizen's hands weren't helping. He swatted the hand that had snaked its way between his legs and tried to glare at the handsome vampire. He just smiled in return.

After what seemed to be decades, the vampire released him with a wet smack. Shinji watched warily as the vampire's eyes practically glowed in satisfaction from the feed and licked his bloodied lips. "You taste even better than I remembered." He purred into the hunter's ear and leaned down again to suck on the spot he had just bitten. Shinji squirmed when he felt the vampire's knee press between his legs.

"Hey, I just promised a feed, Sosuke. Not this!" the blond hunter shoved weakly at the strong chest and succeeded in catching his fingers in the buttons of Aizen's shirt. The vampire smiled slightly at the struggle and dipped his fingers in the cooling blood on the hunter's neck. Shinji froze and shot him a disgusted look as the brown haired god licked his lips and drew a small circle with the wet crimson liquid.

"We haven't seen each other for months. I've missed you and you should miss me as well. After all, I was the one that rescued you from that awful fate in stored for you…" the teeth sank into the wound again, not too hard but just enough to keep the blood flowing. Aizen's maroon eyes drifted over the blonde's flushed face and hateful glare. He licked his lips. The boy looked absolutely beautiful. He smiled as he leaned down and captured those sinfully pink lips in a hot smoldering kiss and thrust his hips forward.

Shinji gasped when he felt the hard arousal pressing insistently between his spread thighs. Here he was, weak from the blood loss and without his guns and an aroused vampire between his legs.

He was in deep shit alright.

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**Shinji: Don't review! Whatever you do, don't! AHHHH! *gets dragged away by a smiling Aizen***

**Grim: *Yanks September Wolves' arm* Hey when the fuck do I get to come out?! I want to eat my berry!**

**Ichigo: *blushes madly and hides his face*  
**

**Me: *backs away* Umm...later...I promise...Starrk's gonna get most of the camera right now...**

**Starrk: *Satisfied smirk and crosses arms* I get to eat the berry while you watch...*licks lips***

**Ichigo: Come any closer and i will shoot you! I swear! *Waves guns around***

**Grim: *Sneers* As if...**

**Ichigo: *Scowls* Try me, ya stupid dog...**

***me backs away slowly***

**Grim: AHHH! Just fucking review or else the fucking woman won't update soon! I want that berry! *Tackles Ichigo***

**__****I will update faster if you review! *wink***


	4. Chapter 4:Ichigo

**AN: Any questions can be answered through reviews... I'm tired...Starrk's origins will be expained later...and by the way, Shinji was once raised as a servant in Aizen's mansion but he took a liking to the rebelious boy and blah blah later...I will explain clearly later...**

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Four**

"Rise and shine." Ichigo called to the bundle of blankets that was Shinji. The bulge under the covers didn't move and he sighed before disappearing from the doorway. A moment later Juliann and Rukia blinked in surprise as a loud cry of pain came from upstairs. Ulquiorra walked out of Shinji's room while rubbing his left fist innocently. Ichigo leaned against the door and gave Shinji a small smirk.

"Ahh…you little devil…" he groaned and rubbed his back.

"Fuck, emo you broke my spine…" Shinji groaned as he practically crawled out of his room. The brunet ignored him. The three made their way downstairs and shuffled into the kitchen. Juliann pursed her lips when she saw the eldest hunter's disheveled hair and slightly limping walk. Ulquiorra was already wearing his suit and had ever single hair placed where it belonged. Ichigo expected no less from the almost neat-freak. Shinji however was far from ready. His hair was fashioned into what looked like a tidal wave tilting to the left. His face was unshaven and Ichigo grimaced when he saw the limply-hanging boxers barely clinging to his hips.

"Go upstairs and make yourself presentable. There are ladies at the table for heaven sakes." Juliann scolded in a displeased tone. Shinji leaned forward and squinted into Rukia's face.

"Where? I don't see any ladies…this one? Naw, that's an ogre." the girl gave him a glare and smacked his arm in annoyance. Ichigo ducked his head to hide the small smile that had appeared on his face.

A month had passed since he had accepted the lollypop from the little girl in the candy store and life had been going normally, or as normal as his life could be. Ichigo went to the gas station almost every day. On days of break, he often went to the local bookstore and buried himself in more useful books like learning computer science or engineering. Ulquiorra worked in a hospital when he didn't go hunting with them and he himself was itching for a better job, maybe something more interactive, like a tutor. That would be a nice change.

"Go down to the store for me and fetch some bandages for me. We ran out yesterday." Juliann's stern voice broke Ichigo's daydreaming and he nodded up at her. "Here's fifty, get enough bandages and the rest is yours to use as you like." A flicker of a smile appeared on her face and he saw a glimpse of the beautiful young woman that had once dwell in the body before her eyes turned stern again. He said a quick 'thank you' and left the table.

Ichigo trudged upstairs slowly. It was the occasional act of kindness from the otherwise strict woman that confused him. A long time ago, Ichigo had trained himself to hate everyone and trust no one, but upon his arrival in Juliann's house, Shinji had taken him under his wing immediately and acted like a goofy older brother at most times. Ulquiorra had been slow to adapt to him but the rare smiles from him were worth every scolding he got from the older hunter. A rare trust between the three so called brothers was established over time and Ichigo felt somewhat proud of the bond between them. He knew Shinji would rather die than see them get hurt and he felt the same for the other two, but Juliann was a different matter altogether. The stern woman was the best vampire hunter in the city and had a reputation almost as big as Dominique. But no matter what she did, Ichigo couldn't truly trust her. Perhaps it was the cold glint in her eyes even Ulquiorra hadn't managed to master that told him she was a real hunter. They were almost amateurs compared to her skills. Ichigo was sure something traumatic had happened to the woman to turn her into a cold almost marble-like person.

"Hey, watch where you're going." An angry voice said as Ichigo bumped into something hard. He mumbled a quick apology and stepped aside but the hand grabbed his arm and tugged. Ichigo blinked up at the man holding him and blanched. Kenpachi smirked down at the shorter hunter, showing off his pointed teeth and dark eye patch. "What a nice surprise, hunter. I haven't spoken to you about the last incident with my fledgling yet…" he smirked and tightened his hold. He cursed his luck and kept his face neutral as the vampire dragged him into an alleyway.

"So, explain." Kenpachi said, looming over Ichigo's body in an intimidating way. The hunter tried not to roll his eyes at the Ancient's face. Kenpachi really didn't have as much brain cells as the one called Sosuke. The huge vampire got most of his reputation from pure violent fighting, not intelligence. He retaliated by kicking the vampire in the knee. The loud snap told him his kick had succeeded in dislocating his kneecap. Kenpachi roared in pain and crouched down. Ichigo brought his knee up and connected with the vampire's nose. That would take a few moments to heal and he took off running down the alley.

He didn't get very far when a pair of arms dragged him inside an open door. He barely got over his shock when the man turned around after locking the door. He stared up numbly and Starrk stared back down at him, his unshaven face slightly cleaner than before and his hair bound into a ponytail. Then the man's face broke into a grin and he collapsed down next to him with a smile. "Man, that was…exciting?" he said finally and Ichigo studied his surroundings.

He was sitting inside a small pet clinic. Cat hissed at him as Starrk lead him down a narrow hall to the other end. It was a more cozy little building. He read the 'pet shop' sign outside and smiled slightly. The door was open and children were flocking inside with excited faces. He felt himself relax next to a small girl. She was petting a puppy and giggling happily.

"So what brought you here?" Starrk asked as he sat down next to Ichigo. The hunter accepted the cup of coffee he was handed and thanked the man softly.

"I was going shopping." He replied honestly and the man surprised him by throwing his head back and laughing.

"So you can't even shop without getting into trouble?" he asked and wiped his eyes, still chuckling. Ichigo ducked his head and frowned. Starrk stopped his laughter immediately when he saw the expression. "Sorry, I wasn't trying to make you feel bad…" he trailed of and looked slightly embarrassed. Ichigo just shook his head slightly.

"Ah well. Let's drop the subject. So, can you help me wash a few vicious cats?" he asked with a grin. Ichigo looked up and smiled shyly before nodding. He felt himself gradually relax as he soaked the screeching cats. It felt almost like he had fallen back into the days he spent at the man's house doing the same job. When the rather painful hour was over, his face was scratched and his cloths torn. Starrk laughed again before leading him to the back and set about cleaning his cuts and scratches. Ichigo sat completely still while he applied medicine over the cuts and pouted slightly when the cut burned from the alcohol. Starrk just grinned broadly and rubbed his head affectionately. He failed completely to notice the shocked face of the vampire standing outside the shop.

xXx

Aizen looked up as the heavy double oak doors were flung open carelessly and raised his eyebrow when Kenpachi stormed in. he accepted the grape the girl in his lap offered and cocked his head.

What brings you here, cousin?" he asked curiously. The tall vampire was rarely seen in the main house. He usually stayed in his fancy hotels and condos and managed the clubs he set up in various spots in the city. Kenpachi growled and plopped down on the leather sofa, next to another silver haired vampire who was holding a book and ignoring the pair. Kenpachi frowned and told him of the day's events and Aizen chuckled slightly. "Perhaps you were delirious from the pain and saw an illusion?" he suggested lightly and nuzzled the girl's neck.

Kenpachi's shoulders stiffened and growled. The silver haired one set aside his book and regarded him with a fox-like smile. "So you think you really saw him? Why would he be lingering in this city after the incident? We were certain he was gone back then, how do you know it really is him?" he asked teasingly and Kenpachi shook his head in frustration.

"I don't know his purpose but I'm sure it's him…" he trailed off with an uncertain look. Gin patted his shoulder and gave him an over exaggerated sympathetic look. Aizen just threw his head back and laughed.

"Are you certain you were sane back there, Kenpachi?" he asked and Kenpachi growled again.

"Yes, I'm fucking sure it was him, even if he grew a beard and his hair longer. Are you saying I can't even recognize the vampire that turned me into this so many years ago?" he snarled at Aizen and the brown-haired vampire shrugged and went back to playing with the woman in his lap.

"Surely we would have felt his presence if he was back…" Gin said softly and his smile slipped at the thought. "Unless he hasn't been feeding properly, that could be a good reason why we couldn't…"

Kenpachi frowned as well. "He was all _chummy_ with that little hunter you were talking to back in Chaos." He curled his lip and collapsed further into the plush leather. Aizen suddenly looked more interested.

"That cute little hunter that was with Shinji?" he asked with a wide smirk. "Hmm, I could use this to my advantage…" Kenpachi just rolled his eyes at the other vampire.

"So what are you going to do?" Aizen asked finally. The other Ancient narrowed his eyes.

"Nothing. I'm going to observe first…"

xXx

Over the next two weeks, Ichigo spent most of his time in Starrk's small pet shop, tending to the adorable animals. The man had introduced him to his part-time assistant, Coral on the second day. She was a shy young woman in her late twenties with mousy brown hair and glasses. Ichigo almost envied her closeness to the man. He spent hours playing with the puppies and feeding the parrots. Starrk was impressed when Ichigo taught the parrot to speak Starrk's name and slightly amused at the vulgar vocabulary that followed. Everything was going just the way he liked. And Ichigo couldn't be happier.

"Do you want to stay for dinner tonight?" Starrk asked from the back of the shop. "I was going to try out a recipe and Coral is staying as well." Ichigo glanced at his watch and frowned at the time. He had a shift in less than twenty minutes but he wanted to stay a little longer. He flipped open his cell and dialed Shinji's number. The older man picked up on the third ring.

"Yeah? What up little dude?" he asked in a cheerful voice and Ichigo asked if they could change shifts just for the night. Shinji caught up immediately and laughed into the phone. "Have a good time with your girl." He said and cackled a few times before he hung up. The orange haired hunter huffed indignantly when Shinji's words finally registered in his mind.

Dinner passed in laughter and he was still chatting with Starrk when his cell phone buzzed. Ichigo excused himself and made his way to the back to receive his call. The voice that answered was not Shinji's and he felt his heart lurch at the words.

"He's hurt, come quickly. We're at the Main House." The line went dead and Ichigo suddenly felt all the warmth from the night's events seep out of his body. He felt as if someone had drenched him in ice-cold water. The hunter turned and saw the two still chatting. He wouldn't be missed soon. Ichigo threw his coat on and left without a word. Aizen's emotionless voice still echoed in his head as he sped down the dark street on his motorcycle. A part of him couldn't believe it. How could things happen so abruptly and without warning? His heart filled with guilt at the thought of Shinji getting hurt because of him. If only he had taken his shift instead…

It took him five minutes to get to the manor. Ichigo hesitated at the front gates. He hadn't brought any weapons except for the silver blade he went nowhere without. Taking a deep breath, the hunter pushed the gates open and stepped inside the vampires' territory.

xXx

"I want him… Dominique…" Constance was half sprawled on the silken sheets beside her mistress with a pout on her face. Dominique brushed back a strand of black hair and turned her eyes onto the vampire next to her. She reached out a hand and stroked Constance's hair.

"Soon, pet, very soon…" she narrowed her silver eyes and licked her blood red lips in anticipation. If she played her cards right tonight, the orange haired beauty would be hers.

xXx

"The bleeding isn't stopping... what should we do?! He's shaking all over…" Ichigo dropped to his knees and grabbed Shinji's hand. It was cool to the touch and he felt the guilt overwhelm him again. The sandy-haired man's face was pale as a sheet, completely the opposite of his usual tan and his brows were drawn down in pain. He was so wrapped up in his guilt and fear that he didn't notice Sosuke move behind him silently. The vampire hesitated for a moment before his arm lashed out and Aizen watched solemnly as the hunter collapsed against the cool marble floor.

"We had a deal, Dominique. My end is done, now give me the antidote." Aizen stood and looked toward the shadows with dark maroon eyes, his face carefully blank. The beautiful woman stepped out from her hiding place with a pleased smile upon her ruby lips. She reached into a pouch and handed the small bottle of clear liquid to Aizen. The brown-haired Ancient shot her a look of loathing before reaching down and tipping Shinji's head back. He didn't hesitate as he pulled open the bottle and took the liquid into his mouth. He lowered his head and pressed his mouth over the hunter's pale ones and forced the bitter antidote into his mouth. Dominique watched with an elegant smile. The effect was almost instantaneous. Shinji's shivering and bleeding stopped and he fell silent. Aizen cradled his head in his lap and brushed back a few strands of blond hair. He didn't stir. He was probably unconscious from the blood loss. The brown haired vampire glared at Dominique as she sauntered over and patted his cheek.

"Good doing business with you, dear brother. Please don't hate me. If your precious little hunter hadn't been in the way, I wouldn't have had to hurt him…" She smiled and crouched down in her crimson dress and looked down at the unconscious Ichigo. She touched his brow and disappeared with him. Aizen sighed warily. He reached to touch one of Shinji's cool cheeks. The mercenary still looked very ill. He pressed his fingers against the shallow pulse and sighed. Shinji had lost too much blood. There was no choice in the matter. He had to do it even if Shinji would hate him later.

He reached into Shinji's cloths and found the silver knife that had killed so many of their kind. The brown haired vampire hissed at the sight of the magic knife and frowned before clenched his teeth and brought it to his pale throat. A thin line of blood appeared and he trailed his finger over the wound before smearing the blood onto Shinji's pale lips.

The vampire stiffened Shinji opened his mouth unconsciously and leaned toward the heavy smell of blood. Aizen pulled his face toward the still bleeding cut on his neck and winced as the unconscious mercenary bit down harshly and sucked.

xXx

"Who's there?" Starrk peered over a low counter and squinted into the darkness. His heart thumped painfully hard as he moved out of the shadows and made his way over to another shelf. The door was only a few feet away. He listened carefully and heard nothing. After taking a deep breath, he bolted for the door and tripped on something soft. Starrk made a grab for the knob, but instead a vase on the low window shook before falling down the narrow ledge. The sound of shattering glass was deafening in the dark and silence pet shop. He tired to move again but the soft thing underneath him caught his attention.

The lights weren't working inside but light from the lampposts outside cast a faint glow on the expressionless face. It was Coral. Starrk's eyes flickered down toward her neck which was twisted in an odd angle. It didn't take him long to figure out she was dead and gone. He covered his mouth to stop the cry of pain. The girl had been innocent and the vampire killed her on the spot for opening the door. He moved back to the clinic and shuffled around blindly for a scalpel he could use as a weapon.

"It's no use hiding. I can smell you. Come out and we will talk." The voice made him stiffen and a burst of anger welled in his chest. The sounds of footsteps came closer. Before he knew what he was doing, he stepped out and stabbed the scalpel into the dark figure. There was a moment of silence before there was an intake of breath.

"Starrk-sama…" Starrk flinched away at the soft word and stood straight. It was no use hiding anymore. He pushed back his messy hair and turned his eyes onto the figure in front of him.

"Kenpachi." The words were no longer warm and laughing. His voice was steely and cool. The vampire pulled the useless scalpel out of his arm and stared at the man before him. The powerful vampire he called his master was now wearing a rumple suit and had an unshaven face. It pained Kenpachi's pride to see him like this, so weak.

"You'd rather live a life like this? Your aura is even less appealing than a normal human. How long have you gone without feeding?" he asked harshly and grabbed Starrk's arm. There was a loud snap and Kenpachi pulled his hand back with a pained hiss.

"What I do for a living is none of your business. Leave and forget what you saw, or else I'll break something more serious." The cool voice made Kenpachi flinch. The warm mask the man had been hiding behind when he was with the hunter was gone and his true self was back.

"Starrk-sama, wait!" he called out and instantly regretted it. The older Ancient whirled around with a dark look on his face.

"That part of me is long gone." he hissed in anger and grabbed Kenpachi's throat before the taller Ancient could act and pinned him against the wall. "I'm stronger than you even if I choose not to feed. Now leave before I loose my patience with you."

Kenpachi growled stubbornly. "No. I'm not going to leave. You have to take Dominique's place as the leader. She's mad and looking for war with the werewolves. The pack is passing here in another month. She wants to spill some werewolf blood just because she thinks they are creatures too low to even lick her boot. You're the only one that can stop them."

The hand pinning his throat hesitated before moving away and Kenpachi slid to the ground with dark grimace.

The older man looked like he suddenly ages several years. He chose not to reply and moved to the outer room. Kenpachi followed warily. "And if I can't stop her? I didn't make it in time to stop James centuries ago. How do you know if I can succeed this time?" he finally spoke softly.

"You're his brother. It's understandable that you couldn't make the killing blow in the end. But he's gone now isn't he? If you don't do this, Isshin's son will be involved if the war starts… surely you don't want that to happen." Kenpachi saw Starrk's shoulders stiffen at the mention of the boy. "Think about it."

He turned to go but Starrk's hand stopped him. "Find me something to feed on." He said. Kenpachi's eyes widened and nodded before he exited the door.

An hour later, the change was drastic. The messy grinning man called Starrk was gone and the handsome vampire lord stood in his place. His face was clean shaven and his hair neatly combed back from his face. He no longer looked like a man in his late forties; instead he seemed to have lost almost ten years. Only one thing didn't change, the silver eyes still seemed sad. Kenpachi stood next to the vampire and grinned at the change. He still didn't look too good, nor was he back in shape, but his aura was already healing. The vampire lord took one last look at his old life and pulled the thick hood over his head and stepped out into the rain.

"You should stay here until your true strength returns, Starrk-sama. In the mean time, I'll go and get a few more—" Starrk interrupted him and held up a hand. They were standing inside one of Kenpachi's large condos. The older Ancient stood near the floor-to-ceiling window overlooking the city.

"No need to worry, Kenny. I will go hunt myself." He said quietly and Kenpachi rolled his eyes.

"The name's not Kenny, its Kenpachi." He said in annoyance and watched Starrk raise an eyebrow.

"Only if you call me Starrk in return." He said simply and made his way to the door. The other Ancient fought the urge to grin and followed Starrk downstairs.

xXx

Ulquiorra paced silently in his upstairs bedroom. Both hunters were not returning his calls. He was getting more and more impatient by the second. If Juliann had seen his agitation, she didn't say anything. He made his way to the window and stared down at the raining world. It was too quiet. He missed Shinji's loud laughter already, and Ichigo's quiet but smart remarks. The door to his room opened and Rukia stepped inside. The brunet hunter turned and gave the younger apprentice a flat look. She stepped forward and frowned.

"Why are you still standing here? Go and find them already. I can see you're itching to go find them, so just go. Don't worry, I'll cover for you." She said with a small smile. He nodded slowly at her words and immediately yanked his window open. Giving the girl one last look, Ulquiorra leapt out into the rain.

"I hope they are going to be okay…" Rukia clasped her hands in front of her chest and prayed.

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**REVIEW OR GRIMMJOW WILL KILL ME FOR THE SLOW UPDATES...=)**


	5. Chapter 5:Ichigo

**AN: Another update! Remember to review!** =)*What do you think of me moving this to the Starrk and Ichigo filter? Grimmjow will be coming in later...

Special thanks to those that took their time to tell me how they thought of this fic.

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Five**

Searing pain on Ichigo's left arm woke him from the depth of unconsciousness. His eyes opened slowly and a red hot iron appeared in the hunter's vision. Ichigo's stomach lurched in dread when he recognized it. It was the mark for slaves in the vampire world.

A muffled scream of pain pulled itself from his throat as he flinched away. But the mark was done. A blood red serpent was branded into his arm, the flesh scorched and sunken from where the hot iron had touched him. His head ached every time he tried to move. It hurt even to swallow. There was a bitter tang in his mouth and Ichigo had a suspicious feeling it was blood. For a moment the hunter closed his eyes and breathed evenly to dim the pain. The calm didn't last and a steel-toed boot caught him in the ribs, successfully knocking the air out of his lungs. Ichigo clenched his teeth when he felt something break.

"This one has a fine face. It'd be a pity if Constance ruins him." A smooth voice said and hands moved over his body, touching places they shouldn't. He stiffened as the hand slipped between his legs and the hunter's eyes snapped open as he head butted the vampire touching him. It was a bad idea. The move almost made him faint again and the vampire snarled in anger and slapped him across the face. Ichigo's neck snapped to the side and black dots exploded over his vision.

"He's not broken properly!" the vampire hissed angrily. There was a cold laugh and a woman stepped into his hazy vision. A cool hand brought his face up and the beautiful woman smiled as she stroked his cheek. Dominique smiled again and made her way over to the door.

"Prepare him, Hanataro. Constance will be back soon. I would like to surprise my pet." She said and the vampire in front of him sneered at the orange haired man before leaning to whisper in his ear.

"I'd behave if I were you. When Constance gets bored with you, you'd better watch your back." He stood and left. Ichigo closed his eyes again and choked softly as bile rose in his throat. How he had ended up there was a mystery.

"I'm sorry but I have to wash you now… it might hurt but please bear with me, stranger." A voice snapped him out of his haze and Ichigo looked up into tearful brown eyes. It was a human boy with messy black hair. His left cheek was bruised and swollen. The hunter closed his eyes again and let out a small grunt. His body hurt like hell and he held his breath as the boy opened the jacket and gasped at the blood he saw there. Ichigo couldn't remember anything properly and his eyes rolled back as the boy's fingers prodded an open wound accidentally. The world went dark and Ichigo never felt so grateful.

When he woke, he was no longer chained to a filthy wall. Instead, Ichigo found himself lying on a red silk bed with an equally red cover thrown over his body. He was attached to the wall by two thick steel cuffs and chains. A closer check revealed he was wearing nothing. The hunter groaned and pressed his hot face against the cool soft sheets and a movement at the other end of the room had him fully alert in seconds, or at least as alert as he could be at the moment. The woman from the cell was standing in the shadows, her face smiling a strange smile. A more familiar face smirked smugly behind her. Constance clapped her hands together in delight and leaned up to kiss the woman's cheek happily.

"Oh, this is the best present I could ever get for my birthday, Dominique!" she turned her gaze on him and licked her lips. Ichigo averted his eyes and tried to think of something to do. But his pain clouded brain was empty and for the first time in his life, Ichigo felt vulnerable.

"Enjoy slowly, pet. And don't kill him too fast, this one took me some effort to obtain." Dominique turned and walked away with a smirk. The hunter crouched on the bed and watched Constance warily. His knife was nowhere to be found and the edgy feeling of panic was making breathing painful. Somehow the unpleasant look in the vampire's eyes told him there was definitely going to be more pain coming up.

Constance dipped her fingers into the soft sheets and sat slowly, crossing her long pale legs. Ichigo didn't find her beauty distracting this time. His heart pounded in his chest as she opened her mouth. Constance licked her lips.

"So, we meet again." Her triumphant smile widened. "You really made a mark on me, hunter." She pulled down the red silk ribbon wrapped around her throat and grimaced. There was a pale scar where his knife had caught her throat. The hunter swallowed and his fingers itched for the firm grip of his guns, or any weapons at all. Ichigo dodged her hand when she reached for his face and the smile turned into a sneer. Ichigo felt pain explode in his head and fell against the soft sheets, struggling to draw breath. Everything hurt.

"Hmm, how does it feel to be on the receiving end now? Your defense has obvious holes in it. Well, I guess that comes when you're completely naked and tied to my bed…" she purred and dragged his face up to meet her eyes. Constance leaned down and bit his lip harshly. Ichigo fought the urge to gag as the scent of blood filled his mouth. The woman sucked on his lip and smirked.

A sudden burst of anger made the hunter bite down on her tongue. The female vampire shrieked and her hands flew to her bleeding lip. She gave a hiss of anger and slapped him. Ichigo sighed as the darkness consumed him again.

xXx

Shinji's eyes focused on the strangely familiar ceiling as his vision came back. The memories of his painful childhood spent in this exact room made him flinch in panic. The light-haired hunter curled up on his side and gasped as pain shot through his body. A hand immediately moved to restrain his frantic movements.

"Shh…" gentle hands drew him into a cold embrace and Shinji relaxed against the hard body. Another hand stroked his forehead softly. He was about to fall back into his stupor when the familiar scent made him stiffen and he pulled away. Shinji's eyes widened as he stared at the brown haired vampire before him. Aizen returned his gaze with a smile and he noticed the vampire looked slightly hurt by his reaction.

"Oh god, we didn't... did we do _it_?" he groaned as he looked down between the sheets, cheeks flushed in panic. He sighed in relief when he only noticed bandages. Aizen snorted indignantly.

"You can relax, mercenary. I don't prey on the weak, especially weak and wounded." He said and smirked, reaching for the hunter.

"I'll have to change your bandages soon. You'll have to…feed one more time…" he finally said and frowned as Shinji stiffened again and stared at him in horror.

"Fuck, I took your blood?" he asked in shock and Aizen nodded, this time the grin was gone and he winced slightly.

"You nearly killed me." Aizen said and his eyes widened as Shinji tackled him and yanked open the neat white shirt. The wound was heavily bandaged but still bleeding. Shinji clenched his teeth and pulled away. Aizen watched in silence as he moved around to find something. He came back with a mirror and stared at his reflection with a frown. The vampires knew what he was displeased about.

"They are stunning, really." he tried weakly as he buttoned his shirt. Shinji didn't reply as he stared at his startling golden eyes. A ring of red around the elongated pupil made him grimace and look away.

"Fuck, this is gonna take months to turn back." He groaned. Aizen smiled softly and offered his arm. Shinji recoiled and shook his head. "Hell no. I'm not going to drink anymore. You should have stopped me…" He stubbornly turned his head and sat by the edge of the bed. The vampire shook his head and sighed. They fell silent again.

"How long was I out?"

"A few days…" the reply was simple and Aizen refused to elaborate.

Shinji felt slightly guilty as he looked at the too-pale vampire sitting across from him. Aizen had returned his weapons and his cloths but refused when he asked to leave. Shinji was pacing in annoyance when Aizen slipped back into the large bedroom, holding out his cell phone. Shinji had taken one glance at his cell phone and cursed. He had been unconscious for a whole week. There had been missed calls from Ulquiorra but surprisingly none from Ichigo. The sandy-haired hunter convinced himself not to feel slightly hurt. He called both hunters but none answered. He was truly at his wits end when a servant came in to offer his midnight snack. It wasn't difficult for the skilled hunter to knock the human unconscious and strip him of his cloths. Shinji pushed the heavy oak doors open and made his way down the empty corridor. The mansion was still familiar to him and he didn't waste time finding the exit. The bad thing was that there was a flock of Ancients standing around the main hall.

Shinji cursed his luck and made his way up a flight of stairs. He was about to turn a corner when a hand grabbed his wrist. The hunter felt his heart lurch when he saw the familiar face. It was Gin, the only vampire that Ulquiorra hadn't been able to kill. He lowered his eyes and stood still.

"I haven't seen you around this place before… pray tell your name." the silver haired vampire said with a creepy grin. Shinji itched to just reach into his shirt and draw out the guns and load a few silver bullets into the vampire's skull. He twitched under the searching curious gaze. Gin was famous for his cruel slave-breaking ways and Shinji's eyes flickered toward the thick sharp whip at his side briefly. He couldn't come up with a name and stayed silent. The vampire reacted for the worse. There was a loud crack and Shinji's knees met the cold marble floor. He tried not to wince in the hard grip. Gin twisted his wrist and the hunter threw his body into the air, twisting out of his grasp with a well aimed kick. His skin was bruised but nothing was broken. The time for subtle acts was long over. He pulled out his gun and shot the vampire in the chest several time before making his escape.

Shinji didn't get very far. A hand shot out and pulled him into an open door. The sandy-haired man stared into hazel eyes and he blinked in a dazed way.

"Ulquiorra?" the other hunter frowned and bolted the door. Shinji felt the tension drain from him as he reached out and grabbed Ulquiorra into a hug. The brunet squeaked in protest and threw him off.

"We have to get out of here first. I haven't been able to reach Ichigo for some time now. He's probably in trouble." The brunet hunter wrapped a thick curtain around his fist and broke the thick glass window easily. "Come on, let's get out of here and find Ichigo."

Shinji nodded and jumped down from the second story window. He heard Ulquiorra gasp slightly and grinned, opening his arms wide.

"Jump. I'll catch you." He said and the other hunter stiffened before jumping. The door rattled on its hinges and Ulquiorra turned to see Gin's smiling down at him from the window. The smile didn't reach his eyes, though. The cruel glint in them promised pain if he was ever caught again. The hunter swallowed, his throat suddenly dry.

"Let's go before they find we broke in." he said and without another glance back at the vampire that had turned his life into a living hell, the brunet followed the other hunter down the path.

xXx

"It would be most entertaining to see him fight for real." Dominique smiled softly as she watched the handsome orange haired hunter dodge Constance's advances. Every time she looked at that almost feminine face, a nagging feeling that she had seen him before would surface. There was something awfully familiar about the hunter but she just couldn't put her finger on it. He moved with the simple grace of a born fighter. It was amusing to see the over active pet of hers so focused on something. Dominique smiled and sipped her wine.

Ichigo turned around when the heavy oak doors opened and a silver haired vampire sauntered in. His eyes turned to the hunter and Ichigo avoided the curious gaze. He checked the vampire and mentally groaned. It was another Ancient.

"Dominique." He greeted her with a small elegant bow and a wide smile. "If I'm not mistaken, two hunters have escaped from our mansion. Is there an explanation for this?" he asked in a casual voice.

Dominique's eyebrow rose and she looked slightly amused. "Oh? Would they be after our little prize perhaps?" her eyes turned to study Ichigo. "How long have they gone?"

"Ten minutes."

"I see. Very well, thank you for informing me, Gin." She dismissed the vampire with a wave of the hand. Ichigo watched him leave with his heart pounding hard in his chest. Did it mean that Shinji and Ulquiorra had been trying to rescue him? The thought was humiliating but he felt grateful never the less. Perhaps he would be free soon. The week he had spent in the mansion was not short of a nightmare. His throat bore the bite marks and bruises from Constance's frequent feedings. He wasn't allowed out of the room and was often on the receiving end of several harsh beatings. Constance's moods were very unstable. The drugs they slipped into his food made him dizzy and weak. His normal sharp reflexes were dulled and he suffered severally from the results.

"You have very nosy friends, hunter." The cold voice made him look up. Ichigo fought the urge to spit into the smug face. If only he had his knife… he chose to remain silent as Dominique spoke. A slap across his face almost made him lose his footing. Constance sneered at the hunter.

"Listen when my master speaks to you." She said before trying to slap him again, but Ichigo was ready this time and he dodged the pale arm before twisting it toward him. The loud crack and Constance's pained shout informed him of the broken arm. His victory was short-lived. Ichigo bit his lip to muffle the scream of pain as Dominique suddenly appeared to his left and squeezed his arm hard enough to break the bone. The next thing he knew, Ichigo was pinned against the wall, his head meeting the cold hard marble with a loud crack. The hunter squirmed weakly. Dominique tightened her hand around his throat.

"Bad puppy." She hissed before biting into his neck harshly. It was even worse that Constance's treatments. He couldn't hold it in anymore. Ichigo's scream echoed through the dark mansion.

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**What do you think?** *hands out strawberries*


	6. Chapter 6:NOTICE

Hi, this is S. wolves here. This isn't a chapter because I'm having a bit of problem with this fic right now. I've worked my ass off to type this and I get a few excellent reviews but I don't' know if it's worth the trouble to continue. I'm having a writer's block with this fic right now. Please tell me a few ideas on how to continue this or give a few words on why you liked this fic so that I can find the reason to continue this... or suggest a few vampire/werewolf movies that I should see in order to get over this block...

I really love all 29 review!

Sorry guys...trying my best here...


	7. Chapter 7:Ichigo

**AN: Thanks to the nice reviews and comments I got over the days, I decided to try and continue with the story. I'm still kind of uncertain about this chapter so please don't give harsh comments or question the pairings. nothing will be explicit for the other side pairings. **Enjoy! and leave a nice review! Love you guys who reviewed!

_**Note: To those that wanted Grimmjow to finally show up, he's coming in the next chapter so review and I will update faster!  
**_

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**Six**

"What do you mean he hasn't come back yet?!" Shinji's loud voice broke through the silence. He was sitting at the kitchen table, his body being closely examined by Rukia. Ulquiorra leaned against the wall and kept his face carefully neutral. Juliann fixed him with a calm stare. She didn't reply. The older hunter stood up with a low snarl and began pacing restlessly. Ulquiorra sat down next to Rukia. His face betrayed none of the real frustration he felt. He knew from experience that shouting at Juliann hardly did any good.

"What happened to your eyes, Shinji?" the light words made the sandy-haired man flinch. He didn't answer and made his way upstairs muttering darkly under his breath. Juliann turned back to her cooking. Ulquiorra curled his lip at the woman. She really didn't seem to care about her younger apprentice. The brunet hunter stood and sighed. It was obvious he and Shinji would have to take things into their own hands. He wracked his brain for any sort of plan. The sounds of running water upstairs jarred him out of his thoughts and the hunter flushed slightly when the person came into his head.

Kenpachi.

He was the only vampire he knew with the widest circle of contacts. He would probably be the first one to know anything. Ulquiorra hesitated when he reached for his cell phone. Was he really prepared to unleash all the memories from his previous life? Kenpachi would definitely ask for some sort of payment. He blushed again at the thought of all of Kenpachi's sexual harassments. That was one vampire he didn't like to associate with. But this was an emergency. Taking a deep breath, Ulquiorra dialed his number and stepped outside.

"Babe, how rare. You were the last person I expected a call from. How may I be of assistance?" the husky voice on the other side made Ulquiorra want to kill something.

"Cut the crap, Kenpachi. I wanted to ask you if you saw Ichigo recently." He said flatly. The other end remained silent. Just as Ulquiorra was about to hang up, the vampire spoke.

"No. I haven't heard or seen him." the laughter from his voice was gone and Ulquiorra bristled instantly.

"You're lying! I've been dealing with you long enough to tell. Now if you don't tell met he truth, I'm going to go over there right now and skin your hide." Kenpachi remained silent. Ulquiorra's left eye twitched. "NOW, KENPACHI!"

A sigh sounded from the other side. "Fine, I'll tell you when you get here. It's not too safe talking on the phone." He gave the address and hung up. The brunet sighed in relief and stepped back into the house. Shinji was dressed and checking his weapons when he entered his room. They didn't speak but Shinji nodded when he saw Ulquiorra's face. They had worked together long enough to understand each other without words. It was ten minutes later that they were standing outside the large hotel Kenpachi had spoken of.

"Top floor, room 340A." he said in the elevator. Shinji whistled and grinned slightly.

"Man, this is expensive shit. Just this elevator must have cost a fortune." He said cheerfully and rubbed his cold hands together to warm them. Ulquiorra smile slightly but didn't reply. He could tell Shinji was just trying to lighten the mood.

The door was ornate glass and stainless steel, an odd combination. The two hunters readied their guns and knocked.

The sounds of footsteps reached their ears and Ulquiorra gripped his gun firmer. There was a soft click as the door opened slightly and the person that greeted them smiled. "Come in, hunters. I guess he is expecting you." The vampire made a welcoming gesture and stepped aside but both made no move to step inside.

"You're supposed to be dead." Shinji broke the silence, his voice oddly flat. Stark arched a black brow and frowned.

"I doubt that's how you should greet your elders." He said in a not too amused tone. Ulquiorra clenched his teeth and aimed his gun. The Ancient moved too fast for him to comprehend. The next thing he knew, his guns were being pulled apart by the pale slender fingers. Stark clicked his tongue and gave both men a thin smile. "Now, wouldn't you boys like to come in and have something to eat?"

Ulquiorra's fingers twitched and he swallowed slightly before entering the room. It was a VIP suite and very fashionably decorated. But he wasn't into the mood to admire the golden fountain next to a large white statue of a tiger. He had always been the more sensitive one and the power rolling off the Ancient was enough to set his skin tingling. Shinji didn't seem to be bothered by it and recovered his shock pretty fast.

"Damn, how do you people afford these things?" he stared in awe at the large glittering fountain. Stark threw his head back and laughed, his fingers still held Ulquiorra's now useless guns.

"Well, you can say we have friends in the higher circle of society…"

Ulquiorra looked around and noticed Kenpachi was absent. That was odd. Normally he would have pounced already. The brunet turned to see Shinji talking to the older Ancient in hushed tones. He wouldn't be missed anytime soon. He was eager to get business done so Ulquiorra moved cautiously into a hallway. There was a loud bag and a door opened. Kenpachi stumbled out of the hall still buttoning his jeans. His dark hair was tussled and wet. The hunter turned his eyes away quickly.

"Put on a shirt before you come out, for heaven sakes." Stark's stern voice broke the awkward silence and the tall vampire stuck his tongue out in a childish way and disappeared. A few moments later he came back dressed in a pair of faded jeans and a white shirt. Ulquiorra gave a silent sigh of relief. It was much easier to talk to him with a shirt on.

"We're here, so tell me where he is then." He said coolly. Stark gave them an interested look and sat down next to the other vampire. Shinji tossed Ulquiorra's guns back to him, reassembled.

The tall Ancient sighed and dragged a hand through his wet hair. "Actually, I'm not sure where he is right now. It obviously has something to do with Constance. She was talking about getting a present for her nth birthday." He replied with a roll of his dark eyes. "My guess is that she did something, but what is a mystery."

Ulquiorra cursed inwardly and pinched the bridge of his nose. He could already feel a headache coming. Shinji was leaning against an elegant glass table and frowning.

"Excuse me, but who are we talking about here?" Stark's smooth voice cut through the silence and Ulquiorra grunted.

"Ichigo." He said softly. The last thing he expected was for Stark to look suddenly tense. He flinched when the atmosphere went dark.

"Do you mean _the Ichigo_ that is a hunter? Tall, orange haired, in his twenties?" he asked in a hushed tone, suddenly sounding tired. Both hunters nodded in surprise. Kenpachi groaned and pressed his face into his hands.

"I have a feeling this is gonna get even worse…"

The older vampire stood and frowned at his fledgling. Kenpachi just groaned again.

"What is the meaning of this?" he asked in a cold voice.

"Ok, look. It started a week ago. I took his shift for the night because he went to his friend's house to have dinner. What's his name again, Starrk? I don't remember much after that. Just someone knocked me out and then there was a lot of pain and I woke up in your fucking manor. I just got out today." Shinji stepped forward and offered all he could remember.

It was Stark's turn to sigh and the vampire turned to the clear fountain, dipping his pale long fingers in the water and not speaking. Ulquiorra thought he imagined the sad look in the Ancient's eyes. They stood like that for a few moments. Then the vampire spoke in a strained voice.

"Well, we have to get him out as soon as possible. This could get out of hand if the werewolves finds out."

Shinji stiffened. "What do the werewolves have to do with this?" he demanded. Stark smoothed a hand through his black locks before turning to meet their eyes solemnly.

"Because Ichigo is Isshin's only heir and the wolves would be stopping by to check on his son."

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** What do you think? Grimmjow will show up next chapter! =)**


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